Northrop On Track To Develop 300kw Device; Lockheed Projects Move Forward

Northrop Grumman has completed the preliminary design review (PDR) phase of a projected 300kw laser, while Lockheed Martin has delivered a 50kw subsystem to the US Air Force Laboratory (AFRL).

The high-energy prototype will, Northrop says, be capable of being scaled up to produce power in excess of a kilowatt. The PDR work has “establishe[d] the company’s technical approach for precise, low-cost, speed-of-light technology for military operations,” the company stated. It is being built under US DoD’s HELSI [High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative] programme, under which Northrop was awarded a $72 million contract in March 2021.

“This is an important step in the ability to combine high-power laser beams into a single beam that can be scaled for maximum power,” Robert Fleming, VP/GM of the company’s strategic space systems division, said. “We’re on track to demonstrate the technology, leveraging our decades of experience in the field.”

Laser weapons technology is moving forward apace in the US. A Lockheed Martin-designed high-energy laser is due to begin flight tests later this year as the Air Force looks to deploy a weapon on AC-130 gunships. Additionally, Lockheed delivered its LANCE (Laser Advancements for Next-Generation Compact Environments) 50kw subsystem to the AFRL in February, the company announced on 11 July. The AFRL intends to couple the device with a Northrop beam director and a Boeing-built pod and test it on an aircraft in 2024.